Electric gyroscope toys



June 16, 1964 A. ULRICH ELECTRIC GYROSCOPE TOYS Filed March 20, 1962 V74 INVENTOR AARON ULR\Q\-\ WAN 351:

United States Patent 3,137,093 I ELECTRIC GYROSCOPE TOYS Aaron Uirich,219 Berry, Park Forest, llll.

Fiied Mar. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 180,962 7 Claims. (Ul. 46-243) Thisinvention relates to toys.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a self-propelledgyroscopic type of toy.

Another object of this invention is to provide a gyroscopic type of toyprovided with a self-contained'motor and battery. I Another object ofthis invention is to provide a gyroscopic type of toy which is motorizedand which has a compact removable current supply unit provided with abattery or batteries for supplying the current to the motor, 'theremovable current supply unit being readily attachable to and detachablefrom the toy frame, and being so constructed and arranged that when theremovable current supply unit has been removed the toy will continue itsspinning gyroscopic operation. Another object of this invention is toprovide a gyroscopic type of toy which will be very entertaining andFIGURE 3 is an enlarged view partly in section of the lower end of thetoy.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the removable currentsupply unit, and

.. "FIGURE Sis a view of the circuit.

Supported within the frame, adjacent the upper end thereof, is a smallbattery operated motor generally designated by the numeral 16. The motor16 and motorshaft 17 is axially alined within the vertically positionedring member 12 and said ring member supports at the upper end thereof abushing or sleeve 13 Within which the upper end 20 of the motor issupported. Encasing the motor 16 is a housing 22 formed of nylon'material or the like which is anchored to the vertically positionedring 12 by suitable fastening members 24.

The lower end of the housing 22 continues downwardly to provide areduced hollow stem portion 26 which is provided with a central opening28 in the bottom wall thereof. The lower end of the vertically extendingring 12 has a depending stem portion 30 which communicates with anaxially alined opening 32 in said vertically positioned ring member 12.Said stem portion 30 and said axially alined opening 32 are internallythreaded to receive an externally threaded member 34 which extends belowthe stem 30, as best seen in FIGURE 3.

The externally threaded member 34 is provided with a bore 36 at theupper portion'thereof to receive a nylon bushing 38. Within the bushinga jewel bearing 40 is of metal or the like and should have suflicientweight since it provides the fly-wheel type of momentum for the toy, asis well understood. The wheel 44 is rigidly or fixedly secured to theshaft or spindle 42 to rotate therewith.

The upper end of the'shaft or spindle 42,'as best seen in FIGURE 2, hasa comically-shaped portion 48 and a reduced spindle section 50. Thecomically-shaped portion 48 of the spindle 42 extends into the opening28 of the stem 26 of the housing, with the reduced spindle section 50extending upwardly into the stem 26 and in axial alinernent with themotor shaft 17. The motor shaft 17 and the fly-wheel spindle 42 arecoupled together by means of a spiral spring 52 so that rotation of themotor will through the coupling spring rotate the fly-wheel spindle 42.

As best seen in the enlarged view in FIGURE 3, the lower end of theshaft or spindle 42 is reduced to provide a comically-shaped portionindicated by the numeral 54, which is further reduced in diameter toprovide a pin 56 having a pointed or tapered end which is supported inthe jewel bearing 40. The conical-shaped portion 54 of the shaft orspindle 42 bears against the ny- 1 The threaded member 34 is adjustablerelative. to the depending stem 30 to compensate for any wear on thebushing 38 or jewel bearing 40 In operation the toy is supported on? thethreaded member 34 which rests on the ground surface. The flywheel shaft42 has a slight vertical play due to the arrangement shown.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, electrical conducting wires 56 and 57 extendfrom the motor 16along the insides of the vertically positioned ringmember 12 and each wire passes through suitable openings in the rings 12and 14 where they are joined to connect to metal contact members 58. Thecontact members 58 are diametrically opposite and are secured on thehorizontalring 14 facing outwardly. The conducting wire'57 is connectedto a suitable switch 60 which is mounted on the vertically positionedring 12 of the frame.

The removable current supply unit which .is' generally designated by thenumeral 62 includes an annular rim or ring member 64 which is generallyU-shaped in crosssection. This rim 64 is made of plastic or likematerial and is adapted to support therewithin a plurality of equallyspaced small pen light batteries indicated by the numetal 66.

As best seen in FIGURES 2 and 4, spring metal contact clips 68 aresuitably spaced around the inside of the rim 64 and are anchoredthereto. Each metal clip 64 has its opposite ends inturned as at 70 sothat as the pen light batteries are positioned around the inside of therim, a battery will be positioned between the end 70 of one clip 68 andthe end 7 0 of an adjacent clip 68. This connects the spaced batteriesin series. The clips which are formed of spring metal serve tomechanically hold the batteries within the annular-rim and provide theconducting contacts. Thus, for example, when four pen light batteries 66are used, the four clips 68 would be positioned between the fourbatteries.

Two of such diametrically oppositely positioned clips 68 are connectedto spring-like metal contact fingers designated by the numeral 72. Thesespring metal contact fingers are adapted, when the rim is positioned onthe Patented June 16, 1964 frameof the toy, to make contact with theexteriorly positioned contact members 58 on the horizontal ring 14.

The lower lip of the annular rim 64 adjacent said spring contact fingersis recessedas at 74, best shown in FIGURE 4, and this permits the rim 64with the batteries therein .to be .positionedon the frame member aroundthe horizontal'ring 14, .and when the recessed portions 74 are alinedwith the outwardly extending metal contacts 58 on the horizontal ringlofthe frame, the rim can then he slid down, with the annular rimsurrounding the horizontally disposed ring '1-4'ofthe frame and themetal fingers 72 on the rim will. make contact with the contact members58 on the horizontal ring 14. This completes the electrical .circuit,and whenthe switch 60 is closed the current will flowfrom the pen lightbatteries 66 through the metal clips .68, through the metal springfingers 72, through the metal contacts v58 on the frame, and throughconductors 56 and 57 to the motor 16 tooperate said motor and to rotatethe shaft 42 and the fly-wheelthereon, which will produce a .gyroscopicaction of the toy. The toy will rotate and will be supported and balanceon the member 34 extending below the frame.

The removable current supply unit 62 is retained on the horizontal ring14 of the frame and will not slip down over the top thereof since theupper lip 76 of the rim 64 will extend over the top of the ring 14, asbest shown in FIGURE 2. However, it is relatively easy to remove thecurrent supply unit 62 when desired and this is done by merely lifting.the ring or rim- 64 of the horizontal ring.

While it is necessary that the current supply unit 62 be mounted onthe'frame 10 to electrically operate the motor 16, the rim-may bereadilyremoved from the frame, as aforesaid, while the motor 16 and shaft 42are rotating, thus the motor 16 and shaft 42 will continue to rotate byvirtue ofits momentum after the current supply unit has been removed.

The positioning of the batteries 66 within the rim v64 is such that theywill not impair the perfect balance of the toy. The toy will continue tooperate as long as current is supplied by the'batteries and the switchis closed. It will continue to operate by virtue of its momentum afterthe current supply unit has been removed. This toy provides a great dealof play value as a toy and may be used for scientific I experimentationwhere a gyroscope would be used.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be madefrom the foregoing Without departing from the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A gyroscope toy comprising a frame member, a motor secured to saidframe member, a shaft operated by said motor and rotatable within saidframe, a bearing member secured to said frame below said shaft andsupporting said frame on a ground surface, a ring member supporting abattery, means for detachably securing said ring member to said frame toprovide current to said motor.

2. A gyroscope toy-comprising a frame member, a motor secured to saidframe member, a shaft operated by said motor and rotatable within saidframe, a bearing member secured to said frame below said shaft andsupporting said frame on a ground surface, a ring member supporting abattery to provide current to said motor, means for detachably securingsaid ring member to said frame, said toy continuing to operate as agyroscopic toy when said ring member is detached.

3. A gyroscopic toy comprising a frame member having a verticallypositioned ring and a horizontally positioned ring fixedly secured toeach other, a motor secured to said vertically positioned ring adjacentthe upper end thereof and provided with a motor shaft extendingvertically therebelow, a rotatable shaftsupported within said verticalring and in axial alinement with said motor shaft, means connecting saidmotor shaft'and said shaft so that rotation of said motor will rotatesaidshaft, a flywheel secured to said shaft and rotatable therewith, abattery secured to said'horizontal ring and connected to said motor forsupplying current to'said motor.

4. A gyroscopic toy comprising a frame member having a verticallypositioned. ringand a horizontally positioned ring fixedly secured toeach other, a motor secured to said vertically positioned ring adjacentthe upper end thereof and provided with a motor shaft extendingvertically therebelow, a rotatable shaft supported within said verticalring and in axial alinement with said motor shaft, means connecting saidmotor shaft and said shaft so that rotation of said motor will rotatesaid shaft, a flywheel secured to said shaft and rotatable therewith, abattery secured to said horizontal ring and connected to said motor forsupplying current to said motor, said battery being detachably securedto said horizontal ring member.

5. A gyroscopic toy'comprising a frame member having a verticallypositioned ring and a horizontally positioned ring fixedly secured toeach other, a motor secured to said vertically positioned ring adjacentthe upper end thereof and provided with a motor shaft extendingvertically therebelow, a rotatable shaft supported within said verticalring and in axial alinement with said motor shaft, means connecting saidmotor shaft and said shaft so that rotation of said motor will rotatesaid shaft, a flywheel secured to said shaft and rotatable therewith, abattery secured to said horizontal ring and connected to said motor forsupplying current to said motor, said shaft rotating within saidvertical ring, said vertical ring having a portion depending therefromand adapted to engage a ground surface whereby said frame is supportedduring rotation of said shaft.

6. In a structure defined in claim 5 in which the connection between themotor shaft and the flywheel shaft comprises a coiled spring.

7. In a structure defined in claim 2 in which the ring member comprisesan annular ring having a generally U-shaped cross-section in which arespacedly mounted a plurality of small batteries so distributed so as notto impair the balance of the toy when said rim is secured to the frame.

Easterling Aug. 23, 1960 Poticha Feb. 6, 1962

1. A GYROSCOPE TOY COMPRISING A FRAME MEMBER, A MOTOR SECURED TO SAIDFRAME MEMBER, A SHAFT OPERATED BY SAID MOTOR AND ROTATABLE WITHIN SAIDFRAME, A BEARING MEMBER SECURED TO SAID FRAME BELOW SAID SHAFT ANDSUPPORTING SAID FRAME ON A GROUND SURFACE, A RING MEMBER SUPPORTING ABATTERY, MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING SAID RING MEMBER TO SAID FRAME TOPROVIDE CURRENT TO SAID MOTOR.